Powell's squad primed for test

If England fail to make their mark at the Women's World Cup finals in China, where the opening game between reigning champions Germany and Argentina takes place at the Shanghai Hangzhou Stadium today, it will not be due to a lack of preparation.

Since reaching the finals for the first time in 12 years after an unbeaten qualifying campaign, a meticulously planned build-up to the 16-nation tournament has produced what the national coach Hope Powell claims is the best prepared squad in the 35-year history of the England team.

The England players, who start their campaign against Japan at the Hangzhou Stadium tomorrow, have undergone an intense programme of group and individual training, support in areas such as nutrition and psychology, toughening-up matches against men's teams, a three-week acclimatisation period and a massive dossier of information on their three group opponents, who include Germany and Argentina in addition to Japan.

It's a far cry from the 1995 World Cup, when the manager Ted Copeland's only assistance came from a physiotherapist and a team doctor. By contrast Powell, a midfielder in Copeland's line-up, has a staff of eight with her in China. "There were too few people doing too many jobs in 1995," said Powell, "but we reached the quarter-finals. Our first aim in China is to do the same and we're going into the tournament as well prepared as we possibly could be. We'll be the fittest ever England women's team and we'll need to be, because we've got to cope with alien conditions as well as some tough opponents."

After tomorrow's game England meet Germany in Shanghai on Friday then face Argentina in Chengdu next Monday. With both Germany and Japan above them in the world rankings, finishing in the group's top two to claim a quarter-final spot could prove difficult.

But Powell said: "World rankings will go out of the window once we get into the tournament, which I think will be a lot closer all round than at previous World Cups." England are ranked 12th in the world, 10 places below Germany and two behind Japan but 17 ahead of Argentina.